The present invention relates generally to the field of vacuum chambers, and more particularly, to a vacuum chamber for use with viscous food processing.
Commercial food products that include viscous materials are typically mixed in a tank. This process adds air to the resultant viscous food product. If the air in the viscous product is not effectively removed, the viscous product will be processed with the air and/or packaged along with the air. This inclusion of air may prohibit effective processing of the food product. Further, air in the food product may result in the food product settling to a lesser volume as the air is released from the product.
In an attempt to minimize the amount of air that is included in a liquid food product being processed, the liquid food product is sent through a vacuum chamber. Air in the liquid food product separates from the food product in the vacuum chamber and is removed by means of a vacuum pump. This system is effective for products of low viscosity such as milk. However, traditional vacuum chambers do not work well with a more viscous food product. Traditional vacuum chambers result in foaming of the viscous food product. Additionally, traditional vacuum chambers do not effectively remove the air from viscous food product. Accordingly, a vacuum chamber system that effectively removes air from viscous food product without causing foaming would be advantageous.